Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA)

The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts opened in 1996 to forge a new approach to performing arts training. It was co-founded by Lead Patron Sir Paul McCartney and Mark Featherstone-Witty RNOM OBE (LIPA's Principal), and is housed in his old school, which underwent a multi-million pound renovation to transform it into a state-of-the-art performing arts higher education institution.

Today LIPA is an acknowledged part of the UK’s higher education provision for the performing arts, recognised and ranked alongside institutions a lot older. LIPA provides learning for the main skills needed for putting on a show (performers and those who make performance possible), uniquely blending specialist and generic skills.

LIPA offers degree courses in Acting, Community Drama, Dance, Music Theatre and Entertainment Management, Music, Sound Technology, Theatre and Performance Design and Theatre and Performance Technology. We also run full-time one year Foundation Certificates in Commercial Dance and Popular Music and Sound Technology.

It trains students for a future of sustained work. Most recent figures have shown that over the most recent four year period, 96% of LIPA’s graduates are in work three years after leaving, while 87% work in the performing arts. To achieve this, their curriculum is constantly being revised. LIPA offers Foundation Certificate courses and BA (hons) degree programmes (validated by Liverpool John Moores University) as well as performing arts classes for 4-19 year olds.

They have strong links with the music industry and hold frequent in-house auditions and showcases for record and publishing companies. Our students have won many songwriting competitions. Our graduates have achieved chart success across the world, as writers, producers and performers. With regular showcase The 2UBE now showing on Freeview and online there are plenty of ways to get seen and heard if a performer or get valuable experience if interested in working behind the scenes on the technical side.

Many have signed recording and publishing contracts. Career outcomes include working as session musicians, as music producers and as music writers for computer games and advert campaigns. In addition, you are eminently qualified to pursue careers within music education or within the wider world of business.

Their graduates have also gone on to work alongside many world famous musicians: this may be as backing singers, instrumentalists (e.g., drummers, guitarists and keyboard players), songwriters, support groups or as their sound engineers in the case of Sound Technology graduates (working on their albums in studios or on their live sound on tour). The list of artists they have worked with covers just about every style of music and includes Adele, Alt-J, Beyoncé, Bon Iver, Bon Jovi, Jake Bugg, Alexandra Burke, Coldplay, Paloma Faith, Florence and the Machine, Guns N’ Roses, Jools Holland, Ben Howard, Jessie J, Tom Jones, Karpe Diem, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Mumford & Sons, Olly Murs, Muse, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith,Britney Spears and Take That, to name but a few.